


Every Night

by Morpheus626



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25046647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: Prompt:  “We’ll figure this out.” and  “Don’t be scared, I’m right here.”A sort of sequel to Sleep Like The Dead in that it deals with a similar topic of ‘funky tablet magic and changes that results in mild horror for all involved with a good ending’that tbh kinda got away from me,but once the spirit took me it was likeok this is happening we got a plot lets go lets go!!!this got longer than a oneshot should be but here we are lol.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Every Night

The patrons that had alerted him to the rattling sarcophagus were surprisingly calm. 

“Maybe a rat!” the short, beaming tourist suggested. “We’ve seen so many rats here! One almost as big as Tommy!” 

Tommy, all of maybe seven, nodded very seriously before they took off, leaving Larry to rope off the already nearly closed exhibition as patrons filed out, the final closing announcement echoing down the halls. 

He closed the doors to the exhibit, only to see the statue guards immediately sigh deeply and begin to move. 

“Were…were you awake all day?” 

They looked at him with what he could only call desperation, and pointed towards the still shaking sarcophagus. 

He’d never been so glad to show up early for his shift as he pushed the lid off, and Ahkmenrah, very much healthy flesh and blood rather than the mummified corpse he should have been at that hour. 

Ahkmenrah wasn’t a pharaoh in that moment, but reminded Larry desperately of his son in younger years, when he’d wake sobbing after a nightmare, his entire body wracked with weeping, to the point that it seemed it must hurt. He clung to Larry like a drowning man, saying something in between the sobs, but only half in English, and even then Larry could barely make it out. 

Finally, after a good ten minutes of what seemed to be pure terror, Ahkmenrah let him go, and took a deep, shaky breath, looking at him with wide eyes, red from the crying. He looked exhausted. 

“Were you awake…all day?” 

Ahkmenrah shook his head. “Not all day. Maybe…I don’t know how much time passed. I think I heard someone mention it nearly being noon when I woke.” 

It was nearly 6:20 now, with the museum having formally closed at 5:45. That was six hours of being awake, trapped, forced to stay silent and still…

“I’m sorry,” Ahkmenrah’s voice broke as he dropped his head into his hands. “I hope I didn’t frighten anyone. But I couldn’t take it anymore. I’ve gotten so used to being able to leave my sarcophagus when I wake that being stuck in it, for any amount of time…” 

Larry hugged him again as Ahkmenrah shook his head, and started to weep anew. 

“Okay. We’ll figure this out. I’ll ask if anyone else was awake and we’ll…I don’t know. But we won’t let this happen again. For your sake, or the patrons. Don’t get me wrong, we could certainly try and sell ‘haunted sarcophagus mummy curse’ as an angle, but I know I’d rather not.” 

As he let go, Ahkmenrah gave him a small smile. 

“Oh buddy. You need rest,” he sighed, and Ahkmenrah’s smile immediately fell and turned to a look of horror. “Oh god! No, not in here, Jesus. No, out in the employee lounge or something. Where you have room and can get up and move at your leisure. C’mon. Let’s get you into something more comfortable, and I’ll start investigating.” 

He helped Ahkmenrah from the sarcophagus, and led the way to the lounge. He knew that Ahkmenrah was plenty capable of getting there and into the sweats he’d acquired for him on his own, but it seemed he didn’t want to be left alone.

He trailed after Larry like a lost puppy dog, eyes taking in every museum inhabitant they passed, clearly with a level of paranoia left over from his trauma earlier in the day. He seemed so much his age and so much not all at once, in the way that Larry figured he had at twenty-something as well. Old enough to take care of oneself, to know better about most things, but in a moment of fear and uncertainty still capable of looking so young and frightened that it almost hurt to look at. 

“I want to help. Talk to everyone, I mean,” Ahkmenrah said as they reached the lounge. “I’ll still change. Not that I’m not comfortable in this, but-” 

“You can be honest with me. If you don’t wanna wear the royal garb every night, you certainly don’t have to. This is your home. Home is where you can wear whatever you want, relax, feel safe. All you gotta do is let me know, and we’ll get you here right away so you can change.” 

Ahkmenrah smiled at that before heading in and changing faster than Larry figured most people could. But all his other clothes were safely removed, set aside on the couch in the lounge, and Ahkmenrah joined him on his walk to the main hall of the museum looking for all the world like any other twenty or so year old, with messy hair, comfortable sweatshirt and sweatpants. The only trapping of his origins that remained were the sandals on his feet. 

“I’d slide on the marble in the socks,” he admitted to Larry as they walked. “They are very nice, and I love them, but-” 

“You don’t wanna see if you can slide from one hall to another in them on accident?” Larry asked with a chuckle. 

“…that would be fun. But not on accident. My luck I’d crash into something expensive,” Ahkmenrah replied. 

“Everything is expensive in here,” Larry laughed. 

“Exactly,” Ahkmenrah smiled, and it was a relief to see it. 

“This would just be easier if we did a huge announcement, maybe?” Larry asked, half to himself and half to Ahkmenrah as he trotted to the rotunda and picked up the PA system’s microphone. 

“I know everyone’s already having fun, but can I get everyone’s attention for a quick second? Really important, but quick, survey,” he announced. 

A few heads turned, but most, understandably already enveloped in their talking with others, ignored it. 

Ahkmenrah took the microphone from his hand gently. “Let me try.” 

The smile he wore was nervous and soft, even as he authoritatively announced: “Who else was alive earlier? Was anyone trapped, as I was? If you were, come and speak to us, immediately. Or else, I’ll find a way to leave the tablet functioning throughout all of tomorrow, and all of you shall know my terror.” 

That shut everyone up, and turned every head. 

“I thought it was just me,” Teddy said, one of the first to trickle towards the desk. “My god, holding my pose like that, watching them all go by, not being able to move an inch..” 

“Teddy, do you know what time it was when that happened?” Larry asked. 

“Twelve noon, sharp. First thing I got a look at was the clock once I woke. And then, since I have such a wondrous view of it, it was all I watched as I waited for the hours to tick down,” he replied. “But at least I wasn’t stuck inside of anything. My lord, how are you doing, my boy? Surely that must have been-” 

“It was bad,” Ahkmenrah interrupted his tone slightly sharp. “I…I don’t wish to talk about it further, if-” 

Teddy interrupted him right back with a gasp. “Of course, forgive me. I didn’t mean to pry.” 

“No, it’s alright. I’m sorry whatever this is affected you as well, Teddy. I can’t imagine trying to stay still with all the patrons watching me near-constantly.” 

Teddy only nodded, and joined them behind the desk, settling down at one of the empty chairs. He looked…the only word Larry could find for it was haunted. And just as exhausted as Ahkmenrah, as well. 

The desk shook as Rexy stalked up as close as he could get to the desk. 

“You as well?” Ahkmenrah asked, and bit back a smile as Rexy posed for them, then shook his head and scoffed, then posed again, and tossed his head back in frustration. “Ah. I understand. Thank you for letting us know.” 

Rexy stomped off again, nearly taking out the desk with his tail as he went, causing them all to duck. 

“Larry…what do we do if it is everyone? Or nearly everyone? I mean, even a few is too many, really, because if anyone falters in keeping up appearances while patrons are here…” 

The panic in Ahkmenrah’s voice hurt to hear. He didn’t need anything else to worry about after what had already happened. 

“I don’t know, at least not right now. But I do know that we’ll have a look at the tablet and maybe…I don’t know. Maybe something new to explain this is written there, or something,” he replied. 

“That’s…not how this works, Larry. I mean that respectfully,” Ahkmenrah said, biting at his lip. “But…artifacts do not just magically have additions made to them, it isn’t like tomorrow Teddy will awaken with a tattoo or something or-” 

“Well, how do we know for sure? I mean, it is magic, of a kind,” Larry interrupted. “Can you really rule it out?” 

Ahkmenrah’s jaw worked, his tell that he was deeply contemplating things. “I suppose not. But it would be very strange, and far too simple an explanation.” 

“What about daylight savings?” Jed asked, clambering onto the desk, with Octavius scrambling after him. “That have somethin’ to do with it?” 

“Um. I don’t think so, only because it’s never had an effect before-” Ahkmenrah started.

“Climate change,” Octavius interrupted confidently. 

“Like…you wanna talk about it, or you think it has something to do with this?” Larry asked. 

“Both,” Octavius shrugged. “Heard some of the patrons discussing it today. What a terrible, horrifying thing. How are you not scared all the time, Larry?” 

“I mean, I suppose most people living today are, to some degree-” 

“They said some people deny it though,” Jed piped up. “The hell is that about? Who the hell goes to a museum, a place of science and I guess kind of magic, all things considered, and then disputes it?” 

“I appreciate your concern for current issues, but one problem at a time,” Larry continued. “We can start with figuring out why the tablet woke so many people so early, and then…climate change, I guess. It’ll take a lot more than just us, but-” 

“You got that right,” Jed interrupted.

“Though every bit could help,” Octavius added. 

“So…were you two awakened at noon, or…” Akmenrah asked awkwardly. 

“Oh, yeah. Some asshat threw a sandwich wrapper in my display; who does that?!” Jed fussed. 

“Someone who doesn’t care about the climate,” Octavius tutted.

“Exactly, and you know-” 

“You two have a great conversation going,” Ahkmenrah took his turn to interrupt, looking wearier by the second. “But maybe we can join it later on, after we’ve finished talking to everyone.” 

“Fair enough,” Jed replied. “We’re gonna go find a magazine in the lounge, see if National Geographic has anything to say about all of this. Gonna take most of the night to get to the lounge, but it’s gonna be worth it.” 

With that, the two tiny figures dashed away, leaping off various bits of office equipment on the desk to get to the floor before running in the direction of the employee lounge. 

“…well then,” Teddy sighed. 

“Indeed,” Ahkmenrah added. 

An awkward silence fell between them then, as the other museum inhabitants milled about, but no one else came forward. 

“It can’t have been only us,” Teddy said. “There’s simply no way.” 

“I don’t think it was,” Sacagawea said, as she approached the desk. “But many are afraid to speak on it. There is concern among them, of a curse, of something gone horribly wrong. None of us enjoy being forced back into…” 

“Nothingness,” Ahkmenrah supplied. “Like an empty sleep.” 

Sacagawea nodded. “At the same time, spending all day in false suspension, worrying that you might accidentally move or give some sign of life and frighten people is no better.” 

“We have to check the tablet then,” Larry said. “Something has to be there to explain this.” 

“That would be too simple,” Ahkmenrah stressed, but led the way to his exhibit quickly nonetheless, with Larry, Teddy, and Sacagawea following him. 

Ahkmenrah read over the tablet with a quick and practiced eye, only to frown. 

“It says something, doesn’t it?” Larry asked. 

Ahkmenrah’s frown deepened. 

“It does!” 

“I have no idea how this could have happened, or who could have made it happen…it is such a simple addition to the spell as well, merely changing the time of awakening…who would benefit from this?” Ahkmenrah muttered as he set the tablet back in its place. 

“Maybe it’s like they said,” Teddy mused. 

“Jed and Octavius? Look, climate change is a real concern, but I don’t think…” Larry replied. 

“No, not that exactly. But these are dark, strange times for many, are they not, Lawrence? Perhaps some energy within the world has affixed itself to the tablet. After all, if its magic exists, what else might be slightly to the left or right of what we can see?” Teddy asked. 

“I…I don’t know. I suppose. But that doesn’t tell us what we can do about it,” Larry said.

“Maybe if we test it first. See if it does this again tomorrow,” Ahkmenrah said softly, fear edging into his voice. “I don’t want to, but I don’t know what else to do. But Larry…” 

“Needs to find a way to get your exhibit temporarily closed until we figure it out, and needs to stay tomorrow to set you free if you do wake up,” Larry finished the statement definitively. 

“I wasn’t going to ask, but if you’re willing,” Ahkmenrah said. “I’d greatly appreciate it, Larry.” 

“I technically need sleep, but that’s a small technicality,” Larry replied.

Teddy stared. “You’re a father, Lawrence.” 

“He’s with his mom for the week!” 

“No, I mean…that’s not a healthy habit to show him, Lawrence.” 

“He isn’t here!” 

“Because this is surely the first time you’ve stayed up all night and all day…” Teddy said, about as judgmentally as he could say anything, his eyes even worse than his tone of voice.

“My ability to father is not what’s in question here,” Larry sighed. “What is in question is…magic.” 

“Did that sound better in your head?” Sacagawea asked softly.

“We ought to get back,” Teddy interjected. “The hour grows…early, I suppose. We’ll in theory be asleep again shortly. Lawrence, good luck on it all. If you need us tomorrow night, let us know.” 

Larry nodded as they left, and watched as Ahkmenrah slipped into his sarcophagus, still in the sweats. 

“I’ll get your clothes. You stay in those; I don’t think it’ll matter much once you uh…re-mummify and then un-mummify later. I’m gonna real quick break the least expensive thing in here, okay?” Larry asked. 

“Is that your game plan to close this exhibit?” 

“Yes?” Larry asked as he hoisted a vase above his head. 

“That’ll do fine. That vase is a reproduction anyway, I accidentally broke the real one as a child,” Ahkmenrah replied as he laid back in the sarcophagus. “Will you…stay in here, while I’m…” 

“Yeah, of course,” Larry said before letting the vase fall from his hands and shatter on the ground, shards of the plaster and clay going everywhere.

“Thank you, L-” 

The alarm on Larry’s watch beeped as Ahkmenrah’s voice dropped away. 

He silenced it and peeked into the sarcophagus. It was a wild thing, to see him completely dead and gone again, when he had been so alive just a moment before. Unsettling, as well. 

But he had no time to observe him, only to run and cry wolf about the exhibit. 

Shockingly, it worked, and more importantly, after the shards of the vase replica were recovered, he was left with Ahkmenrah, though the workers seemed to doubt his sanity mildly at not wanting to go home and rest. 

But he’d made a promise. And he had no intention of breaking it. 

With the doors to the exhibition shut, it was horribly dark. Dark enough to put him to sleep even as he fought it, sat against one of the pillars in the room, waiting for the night to come. 

He woke to shrieking, panicked and out of control.

Ahkmenrah was sat up in the sarcophagus, though Larry could only just make out his silhouette as he struggled to his feet, pushing away the grogginess that threatened to cloud his mind. 

He turned on his flashlight, and turned it on Ahkmenrah as close as he could without blinding him. “Ahk! Hey, it’s me. You’re saaaaaa-” 

He fought back his own scream. Something was wrong with the magic, clearly. Whatever or whoever had done the addition to the tablet had done something incorrect, horribly.

Ahkmenrah’s face was half mummified, half not, dust and who knew what else pouring from his mouth as he screamed and cried. The hand at his mouth was full flesh, but the one that reached out for Larry was mostly bone and dried skin. 

“Okay. Okay. Okay,” Larry said, though it was absolutely not. “Don’t be scared, I’m right here. You’re okay.” 

“No I’m not,” Ahkmenrah wept. “Larry, help.” 

“I-I don’t know,” Larry hesitated, then did the only thing that came to mind. To treat him just like Nicholas with a nightmare, even if this was a never-ending living one. 

He sat on the edge of the open sarcophagus, and wrapped his arms around Ahkmenrah, ignoring the crawling of his skin as his hands moved over the still-mummified portions of his arm and back. “It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay. We’re gonna figure this out, somehow. Maybe we can edit the tablet ourselves, or something. But we aren’t going to leave you like this, I promise.” 

Ahkmenrah was no longer saying anything in English, but though Larry couldn’t understand it, he knew the tone. Someone scared, in need of love and caring and help. 

It took a good hour, from noon to one, before Ahkmenrah was calm enough to speak. 

By one, he was fully living, no longer half-mummified, and breathing normally again, his tears dried. 

“Thank you, Larry,” Ahkmenrah’s voice was rough, his weeping evident in the cracks of his voice, the dryness of his throat. “I’m sorry for my reaction.” 

“Don’t be sorry,” Larry replied. “You have nothing to be sorry for, because that was terrifying.” 

Ahkmenrah looked to him with a face that screamed hurt, illuminated by the flashlight. 

“Oh god, I didn’t mean. I’m sorry,” Larry continued. “I just meant I’d be terrified too, if that happened to me.” 

The relief on Ahkmenrah’s face was palpable. “Right. Sorry.” 

“No, no more sorry. I meant it, you have nothing to be sorry for.” 

“What if we can’t fix it?” Ahkmenrah’s voice was timid. “What if there’s nothing to be done?” 

That was the question of the hour, Larry could only think to himself. He didn’t want to even consider what that might mean for Ahkmenrah and the rest of the inhabitants. Would coming to life still be worth it if it meant inconveniently being brought back while patrons were still in the museum?

He couldn’t know. 

“Then we figure out how to move forward,” Larry said, feeling the dissatisfaction in the answer even as he said it. 

“Very well,” Ahkmenrah replied, his voice still so soft, so low. 

In the dark, it was like two ghosts conversing, especially once the flashlight was off to conserve its battery. It felt otherworldly, not exactly bad, but definitely strange.

Still, it felt better being outside of the exhibit in the light, as soon as six o’clock hit. 

“Better,” Ahkmenrah said as they stepped out, brushing the bits of dried skin and bandage remnants from his sweats with one hand. The other held tight to the tablet. 

“Yes,” Larry agreed. “Ready to figure this out?” 

Ahkmenrah nodded, and they moved to the one place they might be left alone to investigate the tablet. 

“How is it always cold in here?” Ahkmenrah asked as they settled in the employee lounge.

“Think it’s on purpose. If I come in here I won’t fall asleep then, maybe?” 

Ahkmenrah frowned at that. “Did you sleep, Larry? Until I woke you, I mean.” 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. What we need to worry about is that,” Larry said, pointing at the tablet. “Does it say anything else, aside from changing when you guys wake up?” 

Ahkmenrah pored over the tablet for a good ten minutes, his frown deepening. “Sort of? It mentions…something about the changing of all things…the end of death…whoever wrote this has terrible handwriting. What even is this one? This isn’t a hieroglyph, this is a gauge mark!” 

“Call me crazy,” Larry started.

“If you wish,” Ahkmenrah replied earnestly.

“…thank you. But maybe…could it mean you?” 

“Me? Me, what?” 

Larry shrugged. “Returning to life, kind of, I guess? I mean, I don’t know anymore than you do; I’m just thinking out loud.” 

Ahkmenrah’s jaw was doing its thing, his eyes a thousand miles away while he thought. “I was half alive, earlier. But…what does that mean for me, if that is true?” 

“How do you mean?” 

“Will I age? Will I forever be this young, or…and will I be able to leave here then, or will I be some strange, vampiric sort of thing, with a body that looks alive, but is forced to sleep during the day? Will the sun destroy me? What will I be, Larry? What existence will there be for me?” 

Larry knew the shock was showing on his face, but he couldn’t hide it. Ahkmenrah asked incredibly valid and important questions, but once again he found himself with no clue how to answer any of them, and he didn’t know that there would be answers. 

“It’s okay. I know you don’t know,” Ahkmenrah said quietly.

Larry nodded. “If you’re afraid, I don’t blame you. I would be too. This is strange and unnerving, and I wish I did have answers for you. But I think maybe all we can do is see what happens.” 

“You should rest,” Ahkmenrah said, and pointed to the couch. “I’ll need you again tonight then.” 

Larry didn’t argue. He was honestly curious to see if Ahkmenrah would even re-mummify again, or if whatever was on the tablet was true, and he was on his way to being something like alive. 

Plus, the couch was pretty comfortable once a person was tired enough. And he certainly was tired enough. 

A few hours later he woke to Ahkmenrah’s gentle prodding. “Larry, we’ve got to go. Just in case I-” 

“No, I got it,” Larry spluttered as he wiped drool from the corner of his mouth and clambered off the couch, following Ahkmenrah down the hall to the still dark exhibit. 

They were right up to the line, getting Ahkmenrah back in his sarcophagus just as Larry’s alarm beeped on his watch. 

His hand was still on Ahkmenrah’s arm as the deadline of sunrise came and passed. 

And nothing happened. Ahkmenrah sat in front of him, appearing perfectly alive and well, eyes squinted shut as if he was waiting to poof into dust. 

“Can I check you for a pulse?” Larry asked, hearing his voice shake as he took two fingers and placed them just below Ahkmenrah’s jawline. 

It was a strong pulse, and he resisted the urge to put his head to Ahkmenrah’s chest to listen for a heartbeat, then did it anyway. 

The sound of heartbeat had only sounded so good once before, the first time he had heard Nicholas’ heartbeat during a sonogram. 

“I think…I think you’re here to stay,” he said, fighting back happy tears on Ahkmenrah’s behalf. 

“I want to go in the sun,” Ahkmenrah said quickly, jumping out of the sarcophagus and running out of the exhibit to the front doors of the museum. 

Before Larry could even try and stop him he was outside in the sliver of the rising sun, shouting happily into the cool morning air, laughing. 

“I’m alive!” he shouted to Larry as he ran back, wrapping Larry in a hug. “I’m alive, my god. I wonder-there can’t be an expiration on this, do you think?” 

“Did you read one on the tablet?” Larry asked with a smile.

“No, no mention of one.” 

“Then I think you’re here for the long haul. Maybe immortal? I really don’t know, but we’re gonna be careful with you just in case,” Larry continued. 

“I can’t wait to tell everyone,” Ahkmenrah said, then his smile fell. “What if it changed something for them? What if they don’t wake up? What if-” 

“We can’t know until tonight,” Larry said. “In the meantime, would you like to help me lock up before the morning staff get here, and go get breakfast?” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, I think you deserve it. Also, we need to find out if you like…need food. I’m pretty sure you do. But we should find out. And you can crash at my place for now,” Larry replied. 

“Fantastic,” Ahkmenrah’s eyes were shining, his smile bright and bold ashe trotted after Larry while they ensured everyone was where they were meant to be, and locked what needed locking. “What will we say about the exhibit though?” 

“…so we have something to brain storm over breakfast!” Larry said. “And for now…we’re going to hope they don’t go into it at all.” 

“Fair enough,” Ahkmenrah said. “So what do people eat for breakfast now?” 

“I think you’ll like donuts,” Larry replied. “And we’ll need the energy for sure. After all, only a few hours to nap before we’ll need to get ready and be back here. And that means clothes shopping for you, letting you have a shower, whole bunch of new modern stuff!” 

Ahkmenrah was nearly bouncing as they left the museum, lifting his face to the sun, soaking up all the years he’d missed out on. 

He knew it would be an adjustment for both of them, in various ways. He couldn’t even fully envision some it, like figuring out if Ahk could room with him for an extended time or if he could get him an apartment and a job in a reasonable time period. But he was excited for Ahkmenrah, and for what it all might mean, and for him finally getting a good ending despite the initial terror. 

As he watched Ahk take in the city, smiling and laughing, all he could think was how much Ahk deserved it. 


End file.
